Description of the Activity Essay Example for Free

Description of the Activity Essay The Heijs Group is a Dutch company which is comprised of three independent operating companies. These companies are solely concerned with the supply of poultry meat. At the companies sites at Leek and Haulerwijk, the chickens are slaughtered and processed for both the deep frozen and fresh chicken markets. The third site at Hoogeveen only produces chicken fillets this is also the company which I shall examine. Heijs Food Products BV Heijs Food products BV became a division of the Heijs Group in 1997. It is purely engaged in producing top grade chicken fillets. The breasts are supplied by other production companies in the group. Once on site, the breasts are boned which produces a better quality cut of fresh chicken fillet the fillets are specifically cut to size and weight graded. They are mainly supplied to the wholesale trade nationally and abroad. Customers include the manufacturers of ready meals, catering companies and supermarkets. Heijs Food Products BV is a company whose filets chicken and makes the chicken meat ready to sell. Heijs food Products BV main objectives are to stay in the highest market segment so that they only produce high quality food. To achieve this main objective HFP has a number of systems to make sure that the product had the highest possible quality. These systems are called HCCP, IKB, GHP, DRC, ISSO9002, ACP, and BRC will be further explained later in my report. Because a few of these systems Heijs food Products BV may also sell their products to England which is their largest trading country. (BRC, ACP) P2 an description of four functional areas, including human resources, explain how each contributes to the business activity and giving examples of job roles associated with each area Quality Control Research and development The use of new and better machinery contributes with making a high quality product. Quality control makes sure that everything is all right with the food safety and hygiene. The companys policy on quality control will be controlled by special trained employees who have had training in handling with the quality control. Twice a year there is an inspection by the NEN-ISO organisation. This inspection can make a big difference for the company, if the NEN-ISO organisation concludes errors in the working method of production the certificate be put on probation for a period of time to get the entire company on the NEN-ISO standards. They do this by the following seven systems: 1 NEN -EN- ISO 9002 This international standard specifies requirements with regard to quality management. The Heijs Group are accredited with NEN -EN- ISO 9002 The objectives of the standard are: * The Heijs Group is capable of consistently supplying products which fully meet client demands and to a standard which complies with relevant legislation * Improving client satisfaction by using the standard to review and improve processes The standards in general concerns quality systems and documentation, with specific emphasis on the management of responsibility, management of resources, product development, measurement, analysis and improvement. 2 HACCP HACCP is the abbreviation for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. This signifies risk analysis and the management of critical points in the production process. The system has been developed as a preventative manner of work in relation to the general quality management exercised over the production of foodstuffs. The HACCP system assesses: a. biological contamination, ex. Pathogenic microbes, toxicants, microbes, yeasts, fungi, parasites b. chemical contamination such as pesticides, antibiotics, disinfection or cleansing agents, heavy metals, lubricants, additives c. Physical contamination: rust, wood chippings, metal splinters, glass, stones, plastic, hairs, construction etc. In order to prevent these dangers, there are strict measures and work agreements included in the HACCP quality system of Heijs Food Productions. 3 DLG Qualità ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ts Prà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½mierung Annually, for a number of years, Heijs Food Productions have been awarded a prize by DLG in Germany for their poultry products. The prize was in recognition for products which achieved a high organoleptic standard of products for consumers. The award considered product appearance, consistency, smell and taste. The judges were an independent panel of competent professionals who have extensive knowledge and experience of poultry products. 4 GHP-code The GHP code has two levels of standard an international standard but there is a second level which the Dutch meat processing industry has added to the standard and which has been adopted across the Country. The objective of the code is for meat processing companies to guarantee hygiene standards and to improve hygiene management. The Heijs Group believe this is a basic production requirement. The GHP code is a production requirement which has been incorporated into the IKB standard. 5 BRC Standard (Technical Standard for companies supplying retailer branded food products) The British Retail Consortium developed a technical standard for food manufacturers who supplied to the retail markets. The standard has now been adopted as a requirement of supply by many reputable internal customers and retail supermarkets. The standard includes, amongst other points: a. the application of a HACCP system b. a documented quality system c. the management of all aspects of production the product, processes and personnel to ensure food safety, quality and legality All Companies in the Heijs Group are approved to the BRC standard. The poultry processing units are approved to the Higher Level of the standard. 6 ACP (Assured Chicken Production Ltd. Poultry Standards) ACP is a full quality programme which is assessed by an independent organisation. The ACP scheme objective is to promote products that are produced to a recognised standard, which is recognised by the consumer to guarantee product safety, quality and in the case of poultry -welfare standards. The main points in the standard covers food safety, traceability, animal welfare, environmental care, and the well being and safety of animals in their rearing environment. The Heijs Group was the first company outside the UK which fully satisfied the ACP requirements. Only those Companies which satisfy the conditions laid out in the standard can apply the ACP logo on their products. ACP is a standard which has now a requirement of many supermarkets. 7 IKB The IKB chicken programme is a method for quality management in poultry production. For example in order to reduce the level of microbiological contamination of all species of salmonella there is total control through out the production chain from breeding to processing. This prevents cross contamination within the Company itself and also between other external sites. The IKB standard has specific standards to be complied with for building construction, company hygiene policies and procedures and processing techniques. Provisions are also made which have led to an improvement in the slaughter of birds which has resulted in an improvement in meat quality. The IKB standard has long been recognised by the Heijs Group as an unconditional requirement for quality chicken production. Production Within Heijs Food Productions the main department is the production part. First they get chicken breast and then the breasts are boned for a better quality cut of fresh chicken fillet, than they cut the fillets specifically to size and weight. The use of new machinery and better production methods also contribute to a better and hygiene of the product. Heijs Food Production must also keep food safety in caution because the customer demands a safe and high quality product. This is ensured by the regulations and the food safety systems which Heijs Food Productions has (Please see P1). The chicken fillets are mainly supplied to customers abroad there two main export countries are Germany and Great-Britain. Exporting there product is a main source of income. The percentage of Export and National sales are as follow: * Export 95% * National Sale 5% The delivery time on Export products are divided into two different areass as you will see below: * Fresh: 10 days (after slaughter) * Frozen: 6 months (after slaughter) Most regular customers are in the following sectors: * Manufacturers of ready meals * Catering companies * Supermarkets. Heijs Food Productions has a minimum standard of 18000 kilos production a day this is 65% of their total production capacity. This means that they are capable of producing a theoretical figure of 27692 kilos daily (depending on demand of the customer and supply by supplier). The function of the production is: * Produce high quality chicken fillets * Bone the chicken breast * Cut the Fillets specifically to size and weight After the production the product is packed either in bags or in boxes The production department contributes to the business in a way of making a high quality product. Without the production department the company would not be able to exist! This department is a crucial part of the Heijs Food Group. Marketing and Sales Within the company of Heijs there has been a separation between marketing and sales. They dont market their product a lot because good chicken fillets promote them self, they promote the company by: trucks with advertisement on it and with the package of the chicken fillets (there is also advertisement on it) Marketing activities: * Showing we have a good product (by showing certificates like ISO * Developing new packaging * Driving with trucks with our message on them On sales there are two persons active: One does all the customer contacts and one makes all the contracts and other documentation Customer contact is extremely important if you trade with other customers for example you must know what is appropriate in the country which you are trading with. The most important tasks of sales are: * Customer Contact * Orders enquiries * Making Special offers * Setting up Customer Contracts The sales department within the Heijs Company is a part which is crucial for the existence of the company. As you will know each department within a company are equally important to the business. They contribute to the existence of the company by doing there part of the business activity. Without the Sales department Heijs Food Products they would not be able to handle customers or wouldnt have customers at all. Administration The task of the administration with Heijs Food Productions is to keep a record of all the personnel like for example: sickness and absence. Also is the administration in charge of the pay wages of the personnel. The administration is set in the front of the building so that they can do the reception as well. The administration is done by one employee this person is hired to do all the administration within Heijs Food Production. Another task of the employee is taking care of all the necessary work at Reception. main activities of the Administration and Reception administration reception Keep record of personnel welcoming the visitors in charge of wages answer telephone calls write emails to customers give through messages Customer registration Financial work The reception connects telephone calls through, and gives through messages. They also reply to customer enquiries and orders. Incoming post is divided by the personal of the Administration. Welcoming visitors and guide them to the meeting or contact the person which is requested. The Administration/reception is an important task it contributes to the business in a way of doing all the administrational work if that is not done the company would not know where it would stand, and if the reception would not answer the telephone calls, and welcome the visitors the company would not make a good impression with potential customers. Human Resources With Heijs Food Production the do not have a big Human resource department. The work that the employees on the human recourse department do with Heijs Food Productions are: * Hire people (application form) * Dismiss people * Keep record of absence * Training Employees Hiring People Most of the employees which work with Heijs Food Productions are hired from a Vacancy office. Almost everybody can work with Heijs food at the production everybody gets a change: If a person is hired tell get a test period and if they pass this period they can otherwise their asked to find another job. For other leading jobs there is a whole other plan: these people must have HBO Diploma and a good Curriculum Vita. Welfare of the employees The welfare of the employees is very important; the human recourse department makes sure that the working conditions are safe and fun to work in. This is very important for the quality of the product because if the employees do not have any fun in their work, the will not do their work with care and the product is from a less quality. There are also a number of rights that all the employees have * To be paid at the agreed time * To me treated fairly * To be provided with a workspace that is healthy and save * To receive appropriate training * Not to be asked to do anything that is dangerous, unethical or illegal There are also a number of Responsibilities that all the employees have * Work conscientiously in accordance with the agreed term of their employment * Maintain standards of quality * Cooperate in trying to achieve the objectives of the business * Follow established procedures * Comply with health and safety regulations P3 A Description of how equal opportunities of employees are safeguarded by legislation How it is arranged with Heijs Food Productions? With Heijs Food Productions all the personnel equally threaten, if you work hard you can also get a promoted to a higher level on the hierarchy. An example of this is a Foreman (which is responsible for managing his area in the company), but if you do not work hard you cannot expect to get a promotion in the company. The company has a very clear policy on equal opportunities who works hard has more changes of promotion. Legislation All the employees with Heijs Food Productions have equal opportunities in the business. This legislation is arranged by law * The equal pay act 1970 (states that women performing comparable to men should me threaten equally including the same rates of payment) * The sex discrimination acts 1975 and 1986 (rule against discrimination on the basis of sex or marital status) * The race relations act 1976 (makes it illegal to discriminate against employees or potential employees on the grounds of race or ethnic grounds) * The disability discrimination act 1995 (Gives additional rights to disabled people and provides for a code of practise aimed at tending discrimination) * The employment rights act 1996 ( confirms the legal rights of employees and covers the contract of employment, payslips and other meteors Works council Act Businesses with more than 50 employees are obliged to found a work council. The work council can give advise on: * Investments * Shrinking, fusions takeovers, expansion * Hiring of advisers The work council can give approval in decisions about: * Rewarding systems Health and safety * Holiday arrangements Work deliberation * Labor arrangements P4 Communications in Business Communications in business are very important without proper communications you cannot work actively. You wouldnt know what your customers demands are and you are not well informed. This is why good communication within business is very important. With Heijs Food Productions there are a few communication types which they use: Intern communications: * Intern telephone (most often used by the management) * Intern E-mail (most often used by the management) * Intercom (used for announcements) * Oral communications (used for communication between employees) Every day there is a short briefing with the managing people, they will discuss what theyll have to do for the day and at what time they will be finished. than theyll give the orders to the employees to make the product the customer has order (for example chicken fillets of 200 gram) External Communications * Telephone ( for customer and suppliers contact) * E-mail (customer contact + suppliers) * Written Letters E-mail (customer contact + suppliers) * Fax E-mail (customer contact + suppliers) The communications with customers are very important the sales manager calls with the customer at least twice a week. They do this to make sure that the customers is satisfied about the product and for selling more chicken fillets. P5 A Comparison of the organisational structure of your chosen business with a contrasting structure Organisational Structure of Heijs Food Products BV Organisational structure of NSA I have chosen for 2 different kinds of organisational structures: * Line staff organisation (organisational chart) * flat organisational structure (hierarchical structure) Advantages and disadvantages of the hierarchical structure Advantage: * The advantage of a hierarchical structure is that the control of the organisation is kept in the hands of the person at top of the organisation. * Easy to maintain a particular identity or standard of service and quality in a large organisation. * Clear defined chain of commend, which instructions are flowing downward through all employees, and information about performance flowing upwards * Everyone in the organisations knows their role within the organisation. Disadvantage: * No limit to the number of management between the top decision maker and the shop floor or other support staff * Decision making can be slow or delayed as it takes a long time for information to flow upwards, for decisions to be taken at the top and communicated downwards again and implemented by support staff * At each level information and instructions may be interpreted differently so that information passed on, or action taken, may be biased by the attitudes of individual managers. Advantages and disadvantages of a flat structure Advantage: * The flow of information between upper and lower levels is fast this enables quick decision making and a faster response to problems. * With fewer levels of management many managers and operatives feel they have more responsibility for their own work this increases job motivation and satisfaction. Conclusion I could find any disadvantages about a flat structure so my conclusion is that a flat structure is the best one because there are no disadvantages about it (recording to the book)

Emotional Labour and Employees in a Face-to-Face Service Environment

Emotional Labour and Employees in a Face-to-Face Service Environment ABSTRACT In many organizations there is an increase in the requirement to carry on emotional labour. Hochschild (1983) argues that these emotional demands have negative effects physically and psychologically. Management evaluations in the Bahamas focus on job satisfaction and not encompassing the employees psychological well being. This study measured emotional labour under the parameters of surface acting, deep acting and burnout via socio-demographics with the method of questionnaire survey. The results showed 1) significance in one of the social demographics for surface acting, 2) no significance for deep acting, and 3) all social demographics showed significance towards burnout. Key words: Surface Acting, Deep Acting, Burnout Emotional Labour and Employees in a Face-to-Face Service Environment Introduction The strength of the hospitality industry is not only getting a job done, but also involves getting the work done with the correct attitude, with the correct degree of authenticity, and with the correct amount of concern for guests. Every organization in the hospitality industry expects that their employees, while interacting with customers, to exhibit certain types of emotions such as friendliness, cheerfulness, warmth, enthusiasm, or confidence. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for approximately 60% of The Bahamas Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelagos labour force. Prior to 2006, a steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences led to solid GDP growth but since the tourism receipts have begun to drop off. The global recession in 2009 took a sizeable toll on The Bahamas, resulting in a contraction in GP and a widening budget deficit. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector (CIA-The World Factbook, 2011, para. 5). In light of this, it is essential that the service rendered by the Bahamian people continues and remains exceptional. Because the interaction between the service provider and customer is the central part of a service experience that affects a customers perception of service quality, it is essential for managers or employers to control or manage employees behavior or emotional expressions to guarantee service quality. Being able to exercise self-control is a key component. However, it cannot be assumed that the employee is always going to be in a good mood. Situations will arise that will bring about negative emotions such as annoyance, anger etc. Imagine being told that one of your colleagues has just passed away. Immediately after learning this information, a guest needs some assistance specifically from you. Or even more so a guest has a bad attitude for whatever reason and decides to spit on you. What should you do? What reaction should you have? An employees emotional reaction is no longer a private experience, but a public act that is controlled by his or her employer. Rules for emotional display are developed, and training programs are mandatory. Hochschild (1983), who was the first to hone in on the effects of emotional work on flight attendants, describes this type of conflict to be emotional labour emotional job demands and emotional strategies necessary to control these demands. It was discovered that emotional labour weight could be classified into five requirements and one stressor. These would be the display of positive emotions, negative emotions, neutrality, sensitivity, and sympathy. The stressor, emotional dissonance, is then what is demanded when these particular emotional requirements are not met. Hochschild (1983) used the description of a drama-where work setting is an act from a movie or play, the customers/guests are the audience, and the individual employees are actors with rules governing how to interact with the customers/guests. At first glance, it may seem that this task should not be a difficult one to perform. It has been argued that displaying positive emotions have a positive effect on the individual. There are three acting techniques researchers have recommended that service employees carry out emotional labor using (Hochschild, 1983; Ashforth Humphrey, 1993). The first is -surface acting- described as the altering of ones external facade to suggest the appropriate or desired emotion-not necessarily personally felt. The second technique is -deep acting- described as a change of not only the external persona, but also the inner mind-set; done through utilizing empathy or sympathy. The final acting technique is -genuine acting- that happens when the employees felt emotions are harmonious with spoken emotions. In many organizations there is an increase in the requirement to carry on emotional labour. The service industry is one where participants are expected to provide exceptional and flawless behaviour. The expectancy to compartmentalize ones personal feelings and serve seems easy enough. Management expects that a service employees first and upmost responsibility is to the client and anything that comes in-between is secondary. Hochschild (1983) argues that these emotional demands have negative effects physically and psychologically. Management evaluations in the Bahamas focus on job satisfaction and not encompassing the employees psychological well being. The existing research conducted on emotional conflict and dissonance; adds vital information to the general body of knowledge. Notably, as the Bahamas number one industry is tourism, indicating a large portion of the population engages in the provision of service. There has been no study has been conducted in the Bahamas in this area. The purpose of this study is to measure employees attitudes towards emotional labour. The essential assumption is that employees attitudes are critical factors in the formation of the professed positive or negative consequence of performing emotional labor. Particularly, at what levels are emotional labour conducted via surface acting, deep acting, and the effect that it has on service workers, and its associated burnout consequence? The hypothesis is that employees attitudes are vital factors in determining the apparent positive or negative outcome of performing emotional labor. It is expected that the findings of this study can contribute not only to the existing body of literature on emotional labor, but also assist managers and others in the service industry to better understand the impact of job demands on employees. It could also assist them with employing ways to assist their employees when coping with certain conflicting situations. The research objective will be addressed by the following hypotheses: H1a: There is no relationship between gender and surface acting. H1b: There is no relationship between gender and deep acting. H1c: There is a relationship between gender and burnout. H2a: There is a relationship between age and surface acting. H2b: There is a relationship between age and deep acting. H2c: There is a relationship between age and burnout. H3a: There is a relationship between industry experience and surface acting. H3b: There is no relationship between industry experience and deep acting. H3c: There is a relationship between industry experience and burnout. H4a: There is a relationship between department and surface acting. H4b: There is no relationship between department and deep acting. H4c: There is a relationship between department and burnout. Previous studies on emotional labour placed emphasis on the service industry employees attitudes towards emotional labour as a collective, not specifically by this demographical assessment. The return rate on the surveys was lower than would have been preferred; however, the assessment was conducive for this study. Review of Literature Todays business environment can be described as turbulent; one that has scarce resources where you are expected to do more with less (Karatepe and Aleshinoye (2008). There is intense competitive pressure and rapid rates of technological changes. One central part of the service industry is the social interaction with customers or guests. Due to the enlargement of the service industry and growing competition, the demand on emotional labour and self control is high. As with any social contact, the obligation to control ones emotions plays a vital role (Zapf and Holz, 2006). In times past the behaviour of employees, the way they responded to employers, fellow employees and customers was not taken into account in a serious way as the work environment was a place where their personal feelings were to be left outside the workplace (Grandey, 2000). Many researchers have praised Hochschilds 1983 study investigating the work of flight attendants, showing that a substantial part of the job was dealing with the passengers and their emotions, to which the term emotional labor is attributed to (Aleshinoye and Karatepe, 2008; Diestel and Schmidt, 2006; Lewig and Dollard, 2003; Tracy, 2005; Zapf and Holz, 2006). Emotional labour involves diverse emotions; whether it is enhancing, faking or suppressing emotions to modify the emotional expression. Conjointly, emotions are governed in response to the display rules for the organization. The notion of emotional labour which is considered a prospective force of customers emotional position and subsequent valuation of service interactions, refers to the effort, planning, and control needed to express organizationally desired emotions during interpersonal transactions (Morris Fieldman, 1996; Karatepe and Aleshinoye, 2008; Brotheridge (2002)). The differentiating requirements of emotional labour are (Zapf, Vogt, Seifert, Mertini, and Isic, 1999): (1) the necessity to exude positive emotions (PE), (2) the necessity to exude and handle negative emotions (NE), (3) the necessity to exude sensitivity emotions (SE), and (4) the emotional dissonance felt (ED). The literature on service work highlights the increasing importance of image so that service work ers must be in-perceptively conceptualized as cultural sign vehicles. In recent years, there has been enlarged dialogue of emotions in an organizational context (Sturdy, 2003), enabled by a rising view of emotions as evaluative judgments. An example of this can be seen in the tourism industry of the Bahamas. In the tourism industry, the hospitality product is one of service. One must be friendly, courteous and helpful. The success of this industry depends on customer satisfaction. It is unlike other industries as it is unpredictable (Kusluvan, 2003). The creation of a successful tourism product is based on a duel partnership between the country catering to the tourism and the tourist who visits that country (Dijk and Kirk, 2007). To achieve this unblemished service, employees who are in everyday face-to-face interactions with clients are required to do emotional labour. Schneider (2010) describes it to be ones ability to adapt to change in ones demeanor in order to achieve the best results whether success is achieved or not. It was felt that depending on the cliental, those who work in customer service should be able to adapt to the emotion that would be most effective to meet the needs of the organization (Grandey, 2 000). The emotional labour offered by employees is of vital importance when the aim and goal of the employer is to provide such an experience where both the visitor and the customer would develop an appreciation not only to share with others but would have them returning again and again (Dijk and Kirk, 2007). The appearance of the suitable emotion during face-to-face exchanges is a job requirement for many employees in the service industry. Ruz and Tudela (2010) states that ones state of mind is an essential component in how we relate to each other. We know that if we present ourselves in a positive way we will experience positive results. However, we should be careful as there are persons who can pretend to be positive at times but in truth can display negative actions from time to time causing conflict. It is a strange phenomenon but it has been observed that the behaviour of some persons differ in the job environment as oppose to their private lives (Kusluvan, 2003). At the interaction level, the emotional labour can be seen as a gauge of either positive or negative social relations with customers, while the conceptual level relates to the mechanisms that process the emotional work notion. The latter is more controllable and in some cases becomes an amusing experience for employees who structure emotional labour as a strategic exchange. Dis-identification can seemingly aid emotional labour. This usually occurs in conjunction with accomplishment of ones work when it is ambiguous (Tracy, 2005). According to Karatepe and Aleshinoye (2008) there are three modes of acting, surface acting, active deep acting and passive deep acting. Surface acting occurs when employees falsify their emotions by altering their outer conduct/performance to match the organizational display rules while private feelings continue to be unchanged. Active deep acting occurs when employees have to put forth effort to control emotions by regulating their expressive behaviors and inner feelings. Passive deep acting occurs when employees may involuntarily feel emotions needed for a particular situation. The processes of surface acting (managed observed expressions) and deep acting (managing feelings) coincides with the working definitions of emotional labor as a process of emotional regulation, and they provide a useful way of engaging emotional labor. Ideally, employers would prefer that employees leave their problems outside the workplace. However, as human beings this is not always achieved. If there are differences in how these two processes of emotion management relate to the outcomes, suggestions can be made for organizational training and stress management programs. For the most part, employers, have in place various programs, counseling, fund raising for example, to assist employees to cope with stress. In doing so, it is hoped that employees are more likely to be efficient. Showing compassion in the workplace can be a win-win situation (Frost, Dutton, Worline and Wilson, 2000). In spite of the fact that some customers may be insolent, employers expectation of their employee s is that they display professionalism by displaying tolerance and offering help under all circumstances (Schneider, 2010). Grandey (2000) supports this, stating that when organizational desired results are not achieved, various training programs are conducted by employers in order to destabilize those negative behavioral responses associated with various negative emotions. However, training is only one aspect to enhance behaviour in the workplace. It is important that employees respond to customers in a courteous and pleasant way no matter what the employee may be experiencing on a given day. Again, this response is not always suitable as there are some jobs where employees are expected to demonstrate a more aggressive type of response in order to achieve the desired effect (Nunan and Knox, (2005). Yang and Chang (2008) found that emotional labour should be measured using five dimensions emotional display rule (EDR), surface acting (SA), deep acting (DA), variety of emotions required (VER), frequency and duration of interactions (FDI). Emotional labour was measured with a slightly modified scale utilizing a 7-point Likert Scale. Particularly, the EDR was the level at which employees reported that their emotional displays were restricted by their jobs. The study also took under consideration the socio-demographic variables examined, including age, gender, employment and marital status. Grandey (2003) states that when considering ratings it is felt that the higher ratings should be accredited to the deep acting which is the display of genuine emotions as oppose to surface acting. Dijk and Kirk (2007) describe emotional display rules as rules that require employees to manipulate their emotions in order to achieve goal for a promised award such as an increment. On the other hand w hen they fail to meet the required goal of the organization they can very well encounter disciplinary action. Hochschild (1983) claimed that the way persons conduct emotional labor is predisposed by an assortment of individual and situational characteristics. Seldom is emotional labor formulated as having an interior source of inconsistency, one that is thoughtful of the continuing condition of the person as opposed to being a creation of the circumstances. The individual difference approach to emotional labor involves the measurement of individual dispositions and the supposition that these measures can assist in explaining individual attitudes and performance (Staw Ross, 1985). It can then be understood that persons can be characterized into certain proportions, that these proportions have some constancy over time, and that these dimensions are useful in predicting individual behavior across situations (Staw Ross, 1985). It is proposed that individual characteristics influence the individuals performance of emotional labor through different acting mechanisms, and result in different outc omes. The basic assumption is that, persons with different dispositions evaluate the same emotional display rules differently. A complication in providing emotional labour is increased in employees with restricted backing for power (Tracy, 2005). Zapf and Holz (2006) make reference to Hochschilds argument that conducting emotional labour for long periods of time would overburden the service providers capability to show the preferred emotions. The employee would continue to smile, but the feeling would not be in it. This inconsistency is what is labeled as emotional dissonance. The kind of circumstances that end up in emotional dissonance can easily occur in service interactions. This is because the inconsistent temperament of service delivery as much depends on the situational factors involved such as the employees feelings on that particular day or stressful interactions with demanding or difficult customers. It is difficult, in many instances, to determine that the behaviour of individuals in terms of whether their actions are natural or programmed (Kusluvan, 2003). Lewig and Dollard (2003), states that emotional dissonance subsequently results in depression, low self-worth, despondency and withdrawal from the job. There are times when employees are placed in situations where their emotions are tested and tried by those in administration. These experiences can be taxing on ones health and as a result, leave them drained. In addition, employees become demoralized to the point where those they are expected to service suffer as they are unable to perform their duties in a satisfactory manner (Grandey, 2000). Karatepe and Aleshinoye (2008) noted that employees who are in frontline service jobs are vulnerable to emotional dissonance. They noted that the incongruence between felt and displayed emotions captures two modes of surface acting and passive deep acting which are at the opposite ends of a scale. It also pointed out that emotional dissonance and/or emotional exhaustion may give increase to negative job outcomes such as job performance or job d issatisfaction. Zapf and Holz (2006) further state that the reaction to emotional demands in service work is described as burnout: a syndrome that consists of depersonalization, exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment. Because surface acting consists of faking ones expressions; pretending to have certain feelings that do not exist. This alone is stressful and can prove to cause one to become detached from ones true feelings and those of others. In addition it can also bring about lack of ones personal achievement especially if the customers were not impressed (Brotheridge, 2002). The long-run effect would lead to psychological ill heath brought about by alienating personal feelings. Lewig and Dollard (2003) further express that the felt emotions and displayed emotions experienced within dissonance can lead to dysfunctional emotional labour for a worker. Tracy (2005) describes the declaration of an elected identity elucidated emotional labour. This identity is constantly reconditioning but it is not real. Kusluvan (2003) expresses that one has to have a keen insight into the behaviour of persons as they are not always authentic. Grandey (2003) discovered that there are ways in which one can determine whether ones emotional display is genuine or not. For example, a smile also known as a Duchenne smile by looking at which muscle around the eye is being used. However it is not clear whether this is so with a faked smile and whether they influence observers in a negative way. Depersonalization is said to be the tendency to treat clients like objects and too change into an unsympathetic behaviour with regard to clients. Because deep acting is closer to actual genuine feelings the chances are that the expectation is that there would be a lower level of depersonalization and that one would experience more personal achievement (Brotheridge, 2002). Exhaustion measures the feeling of the burnout. While personal accomplishment includes the position of having the capability to carry out functions and skills to meet personal goals on the job. Emotional exhaustion is preempted by emotional dissonance. It has been debated that the role conflict is identical with emotional dissonance and proceeds emotional exhaustion. Emotional dissonance as a result leading to unhappiness with a job is foreseen through individuals (Ludwig and Dollard, 2003). Zapf and Holz (2006) make it clear that the need to display negative emotions should not be misconstrued as letting out ones personal negative emotions. Instead, the restrained expression of anger may be used to make plain that one is critically affected by something or one is taking something seriously. Lewig and Dollard (2003) found that while the display of positive or negative emotions as well as sensitivity requirements, are not necessarily stressful. However, they may become so, through emotional dissonance. Zapf and Holz (2006) state, that the explanation for the positive and negative effects of emotional labour on burnout can be divided into two levels: interaction and conceptual. Karatepe and Aleshinoye (2008) found that negative affectivity is positively related to emotional dissonance and exhaustion and that these were consistent with the perception mechanism. They concluded that the face-to-face service providers emotional exhaustion, as they hypothesized, was positively related to emotional dissonance. Yang and Chang (2008) found that EDR was significantly correlated with all job satisfactions subscales as well as the organizational commitments subscale; and interestingly they found no significant relationship between VER and job satisfaction. Lewig and Dollard (2003) discovered that when service workers are given the means by which he or she can manage effective and developing interaction, thereby providing them with a greater sense of self worth, emotional labour becomes functional. Interactions with customers are favorable due to optimism and emotional stability by introducing a barrier between them and the associated emotion. In contrast, it was pointed out that employees experiencing emotional dissonance on a continuous basis lose their scanty resource reservoir and are faced with emotional exhaustion, which gives rise to substantial costs for organizations. This was in spite of the fact that service with a smile was seen as an established job requirement during the selection of new employees in service (Karatepe and Aleshinoye, 2008). Their results also confirmed that emotional dissonance partially mediates the effect of built-in motivation on emotional exhaustion. But consistent with the COR (Conservation of Resourc es) theory where persons seek to acquire, maintain and preserve certain resources, employees with built-in motivation may cope with emotional dissonance, and, as a result protect themselves from emotional exhaustion. Ruz and Tudela (2010) found that persons made more errors and took a longer time completing tasks when the emotions displayed by a customer did not agree with their natural feelings. Karatepe and Aleshinoye (2008) also found in their study that there are employees who are vulnerable to high emotional dissonance. These employees try to concentrate more on their job-related duties and responsibilities in order to protect themselves from experiencing further emotional dissonance to ensure that they perform effectively in the organization. The school of thought here is that emotional dissonance does not have any bearing on job performance. In order to maximize the skills and abilities of employees, it is imperative that employers evaluate those skills and abilities with the view of assigning employees appropriately (Bailey and McClough, 2000). Pugh (2001) emphasizes that organizations would do well to recognize and appreciate the importance of the emotions of their employees because their emotions can make or break their business. Dijk and Kirk (2007), further states that employees must be mindful of the type of environment they provide not only for the tourist that visit their establishment, but also for the persons they employ to perform as there are times when stress can get out of hand. Methodology This study is quantitative in nature, seeking to measure service employees attitudes towards emotional labour, specifically, surface acting, deep acting and the consequence of burnout. The parameter of this study is limited to the hospitality industry; this section describes the sample and sample selection, instrument, procedure and analysis. Sample Sample Selection A sample size calculator publically serviced by Creative Research Systems online was used to produce the sample size. The population: one hundred and sixty-five (165) employees who work at a timeshare resort, using a confidence level of 95% generated the sample size of one hundred and sixteen (116). The sampling parameters focus only on those guest-contact (face-to-face or voice-to-voice) employees who perform emotional labor on a daily basis. The guest-contact employees included in this purposed study are those who work in the Front Office, Concierge, Housekeeping, Engineering and Sales departments. Entry-level employees and middle managers were included in the sample, senior management was not. Criteria for being a participant: Participants must be full-time employees Participants have to be guest-contact employees (face-to-face or voice-to-voice) Procedure A meeting was held with the General Manager (GM) of the timeshare resort to initially introduce and seek permission to conduct this study. After which, the GM was formally presented with a copy of the research proposal and a formal letter requesting permission for the administration of the survey. Permission was granted and the managers of the various departments were notified and advised to inform their respective departments about the administration of the surveys. The surveys were personally distributed and monitored over a three (3) day period. Potential participants were approached and asked to partake in the study; consent was gained from each participant. Each employee was briefed that they could withdraw from the survey at any time. The participants details were anonymous and were only identifiable by gender, age, industry experience and departments. Employees attitudes are critical factors in the formation of the professed positive or negative consequence of performing emotional labor. Particularly, at what levels are emotional labour conducted via surface acting, deep acting, and the effect that it has on service workers, and its associated burnout consequence? This question was addressed by the following hypotheses: H1a: There is no relationship between gender and surface acting. H1b: There is no relationship between gender and deep acting. H1c: There is a relationship between gender and burnout. H2a: There is a relationship between age and surface acting. H2b: There is a relationship between age and deep acting. H2c: There is a relationship between age and burnout. H3a: There is a relationship between industry experience and surface acting. H3b: There is no relationship between industry experience and deep acting. H3c: There is a relationship between industry experience and burnout. H4a: There is a relationship between department and surface acting. H4b: There is no relationship between department and deep acting. H4c: There is a relationship between department and burnout Instrument. A self administered survey was used to collect the data. The overall design was a survey constructed with the influence of the extensive literature review. A five point Likert scale was used with the options of Always (5) to Never (1) accompanied each question. There were no verbal labels for scale points 2 through 4; this indicated the equal interval of one between them within the range 5 and 1. Emotional labour was measured by Q6, Q7, and Q11; surface acting was measured by Q8, Q9, Q11 and Q12. Deep acting was measured by Q13, Q14 and Q15, and burnout was measured by Q16, Q17 and Q18.  [1]   With the use of a convenient employee sample approach to collect data, there were some constraints in terms of this studys sample requirements as 116 surveys were attempted, only 64 surveys were adequately completed and admissible for analysis. The data was then analyzed was carried out in each socio demographic (gender, age, industry experience and department) using the t-test and single factor ANOVA analysis. The t-test was carried out to compare the means of each participant for either questionnaire to check the questionnaire was reliable over time. When multiple t-tests are conducted a significance problem develops and reduces validity. The ANOVA analysis overcomes this problem by detecting the differences as a whole. Findings and Analysis The demographics of the study sample indicated that 45.31% of the respondents were female and 54.69% were male. All of the respondents had industry experience of at least 1 year, and most of them had more than ten years experience (39.06%). Table 1 shows the descriptive analysis means, standard deviations, variances and skewedness of variables used in this study. Table 1 Means, Standard Deviations, Variances, Skewedness M SD V Emotional Labor 3.99 1.35 1.84 Surface Acting 3.61 1.55 2.40 Deep Acting 3.50 1.40 1.97 Burnout 2.90 1.53 2.34 The total sample (n=64) averaged the experienced of emotional labour at 3.99 (SD=1.35), surface acting at 3.61 (SD=1.55), deep acting at 3.50 (SD=1.40) and burnout at 2.90 (SD=1.53); each mean out of a possible 5. This shows that the majority of the responses were close to the respective means. Individual T tests were used to analyze the differences of surface acting, deep acting and burnout amongst the demographics. The means from the total sample for SA=3.17, DA=3.3

Effect of Absent Fathers on Child Development

Effect of Absent Fathers on Child Development The Effects on Children of Absent Fathers and Divorced Fathers The family image has had a tremendous change from the way it was in the past and the way it is today. There are several sources that talk about the different situations within the relationships of the mother and father and the effects that the relationships have on their children. In Children of Gay Fathers, authors Robert Barret, and Bryan Robinson talk about the effects on children’s behavior whenever there is a homosexual man parenting while raising his children or child. They also talk about how hard it is for homosexual men to come out with their child or children and the reaction of others surrounding their children. The Ballad of a Single Mother Lynn Olcott tells her story about the struggle as a single mother without the father of her children in the picture (446). In Absent Fathers: Why Don’t We Ever Talk About the Unmarried Men? written by Rebecca Blank, she talks about the unmarried fathers and why they are absent and the impacts that they have on their child ren or households. The main issue that these authors argue about is the father figures in children’s lives can affect the children in a positive or negative way depending on what is going on. The one thing that all the essays share in common is the financial difficulty that happens when the two parents split up, the mother or father. In Absent Fathers: Why Don’t We Ever Talk About the Unmarried Men?, Blank talks about the financial trouble that single women go through either because the father is: in jail, abandoned the mother, or the mother has gotten a divorce and child support is not being giving to support the children. Blank states that when fathers leave that there is a financial burden put on the mother to take care of her children (440). â€Å"The rise in single parenting has not simply led to an increase in the number of children who physically live with and are primarily raised by their mothers. It has also meant massive financial desertion of these children by their fathers. This is a major reason as to why the women who raise children on their own are so likely to be poor.† said Blank (442). Blanks states that many women with low skill working op portunities statistically have children with men that are in the same situation as them and therefore both parents cannot provide for the child like they should financially (443). Similarly, Olcott talks about the financial problems she went through without a father for her children present in her story, â€Å"The Ballad of a Single Mother†. Olcott also mentions how when she was working that money was also an issue and how she was being underpaid like other mothers that were single and had to care for their children by themselves with no financial support (446). She had to work a lot in order to take care of her child so she had very little time to take care of her child most of the days. She even picked up another bill which was a daycare bill in order to make sure her child was kept in order to work the full time job to provide for her child. Olcott and Blank have stated that there will be a problem in the near future with the absent fathers and single parenting and they don’t see it being figured out. Olcott wishes that she could spend more time with her children and have less financial problems and she says that she does not believe that her daughters or their daughters will not be able to stay home and nurture their own children without having a child as well. Olcott believes that there isn’t going to be a day where single mothers could just easily give up their jobs to take care of their kids like in the past (447). Blank thinks that it may be impossible to tell men to get a job to support their families in today’s society. â€Å"Though their behavior may not be excusable, ordering them to get a job and/or pay more in child support may not be as easily accomplished as in years past† says Blank (444). There are several differences in these essays as well. Blanks talks about the lack of information single mothers fail to report about the fathers. Most women know who the fathers are but just fail to acknowledge who they are when the baby is born on the birth certificate. She asserts that the actions of absent fathers are inexcusable (Blank 444). In contrast Olcott spoke of her financial hardships not out of self-pity or sorrow, but as if she is proud to have overcome the struggles of not having the support of her children’s father (447).The parents of children who have divorced or never been married can have a negative impact with the parents and children. In Children of Gay Fathers, Barret believes that when parents go through divorces and the father’s sexuality changes that the child might become stressed because of knowing their father’s sexuality. He also says that the people that surround the child, friends, might distant themselves from the child or act di fferent around the child because of the friends finding out that the father is gay may also put stress on the child causing them to distant themselves away from the father. Barret also states that divorce itself puts stress on children (410). In Absent Fathers: Why Don’t We Ever Talk About the Unmarried Men? Blank agrees that the absence of a father in the household puts stress on the single mother and child, and many times the child has no relationship with their father. â€Å"For every single mother there is a father who is not living with his children† says Blank (440). In The Ballad of a Single Mother Olcott tells about the trials and tribulations that her and her children had to go through without their father being in their lives. She also admitted that she had missed out on some events in her children’s life because she worked full time. While working a full time job she was not able to share in these special times with her children, damaging their emotio nal relationships. One of her stories is about her son giving up soccer because her funds began to get tight and she couldn’t afford for her son to continue to play soccer. She continues to tell how a group of men who managed the league helping him to continue playing in the league by paying the fees. She kind of relates these men to being that father figure that her son never had and shows that if the father was present that she wouldn’t have to worry about an issue like this one. The way American families are today is totally different from within the past. It seems that having an absent father is the new norm. In many families, you see many single mothers raise their children on their own and struggle to make ends meet most of the time. Most of the time women have to have government assistance in order to provide for their children. There are several sources that talk about the different situations within the relationships of the mother and father and the effects that the relationships have on their children. In the three essays I chose, the authors share a common ground. They really speak on the positive and negative effects that absent fathers can have on not only the child but also the family as a whole. The mother struggles and the child stresses because of divorce or because of the sexuality of the father and fear of what society might think about the child and parent. Some people say that a father being absent is inexcusable and feel sorry for the wome n to have to go through what they do or did and you have some women who are actually glad that they went through the struggle and overcame it at the same time like Lynn Olcott mentions in her story about being a single mother. You also have some authors that agree with each other saying that they don’t think that single parenting women will be able to give up their jobs all the way and nurture a child at the same time without struggling to do so. What are your thoughts on single mothers and absent fathers or single fathers parenting? Works Cited Barret, Robert, and Bryan E. Robinson. â€Å"Children of Gay Fathers.† Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers. 7th ed. Eds. Mary Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2012. 409-414. Print. Blank, Rebecca M. â€Å"Absent Fathers:Why Don’t We Ever Talk About the Unmarried Men?† Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers. 7th ed. Eds. Mary Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2012. 439-444. Print. Olcott, Lynn. â€Å"The Ballad of a Single Mother.† Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers. 7th ed. Eds. Mary Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2012. 446-447. Print.

Rodin Essay -- Essays Papers

Rodin Like most artists, Rodin was not an overnight success. Even though he was rejected numerous times from art schools because of his art style, he prevailed in the end. Rodin, like many artists, got their inspiration from other great and famous artists. In Rodin's case, his inspiration came from Michelangelo. In Rodin's more famous works, one can see the similarities between the two artists' artwork. Rodin's parents were not wealthy, therefore, he was not able to attend an art school of his choice. His father, however, did send him to Petite École, "a training ground for commercial draftsman and practiciens--cutters and finishers of work in stone". At the age of seventeen, Rodin won his first prize for a clay model and he came in second place for one of his drawings. His teachers at Petite École encouraged him to "try for the Grande École des Beaux-Arts". He applied, but was not accepted. Not giving up hope, Rodin applied two more times, but was rejected. Determined to make a living, he worked for a large commercial designer. It was there, that he created numerous objects with his hands; anything from masks of gods to cupids. This is where he began to see that he had a future in what he loved the most, art. Even though Rodin was an artist, his career did not take off so soon. When he was 22, his sister Maria died. He anguished so much over her death that he decided to leave his art. He quit everything and decided to enter the Order of the Fathers of the Very Holy Sacrament. While living in the monastery, Rodin confided in Father Eymard, and he was the one that told Rodin to continue sculpting and not to give up. Rodin eventually realized that religion was not his calling and once he had enough money saved up, he moved into his first studio. From that point on, he was fully committed to his artwork. Rodin said that it was so cold in his studio, (he could not afford to have heat) that he would wake up and see parts of his sculptures on the floor. "Since I didn't have the money to have them cast, each day I lost precious time covering my clay with wet cloths. Despite that, at every turn I had accidents from the effects of the cold and heat. Entire sections detached themselves–heads, arms, knees, chunks of torso fell off; I found them in pieces on the tiles that covered the floor" . In 1864, Rodin created a masterpiece, something that would change his ... ...ed, he prevailed and was able to live happily; considering what a hard life he had. Rodin died in November 1917 and his common-law wife, Rose, died in February of 1917. Rodin died with having completed over 400 sculptures and 7,000 drawings.Two of Rodin's most famous pieces of work were finally shown in the Salon in 1878, The Man with the Broken Nose and the Age of Bronze. I had a chance to see several Rodins and visit his home in paris last summer and while he may reflect Michealangelo ,it was clear ,no one could deny his talent as a sculptor. His forms hold such a strong sense of motion and strength. My favorite would have to be his sculpture the Kiss, it stands in the garden de’Tolluries in paris and just left such a strong impression on me. Bibliography 1.Cunningham, Lawrence and John Reich. Culture and Values: A Survey of the Western Humanities. Vol. 2, 4th Edition. Forth Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998. 2.HalWilliam Harlan and the Editors of Time-Life Books. The World of Rodin: 1840- 1917.Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1978. 3.Lampert, Catherine. Rodin: Sculpture and Drawings. Hong Kong: Kwong Fat Offset Printing Co. Ltd., 1986.

Parent Child Relationships in Before You Were Mine, Kid, On My First So

Parent Child Relationships in Before You Were Mine, Kid, On My First Sonne, and The Song Of The Old Mother All of the poems are about emotions and parent child relationships. In Before You Were Mine, the girl idolises and loves her mother. Whereas the man in Kid feels angry towards his father, and resents him too. In the poem On My First Sonne, the father loves his son a lot and feels grief for his dead son. Which is different from The Song Of The Old Mother as in this the mother is angry and annoyed at her children. I shall look for similarities and differences in the parent child relationships that are in all four of the poems. The use of structure in Kid shows the past and present in a chronological way, it’s like a monologue. I know this because the lines one to five are about past events from when he was a child, â€Å"when you gave me the order to grow up.† The middle lines show the present â€Å"you baby, now I’m the real boy wonder.† This is effective because this shows the father son relationship between them from the past, when Kid had suffered to the present where he has learnt from the mistakes in his life. This structure is similar to Before You Were Mine as it is also structured in a chronological way. The mother’s life has been explored this way in each verse. Firstly, the mother’s childhood has been mentioned, â€Å"Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs.† Then in the second verse, the mother is an older dating teenager who falls in love â€Å"in the ballroom†¦I knew you would dance like that.† Finally, the last verse describes her as a mother â€Å"†¦You’d teach me the steps on the way home from Mass.† Each verse is like snap shots which are clearly shown wherever the mother was in her life she is in eac... ... he will never get too attached to anything he loves ever again. I think this is a sad poem because the parent loved his son so much he was his pride, his joy. His son meant everything to him and because of his son’s death; he’s never going to love anything like this again. This makes me think that you should make the most of what you’ve got in life and hold onto it because you don’t know what’s round the corner. This is similar to Before You Were Mine because in both parent child relationships feelings are shown. The feelings which are shown are love and care for one another. Before You Were Mine is about a girl who is looking at a photo, she is reflecting back all the positive memories of her mother. She idolises and loves her mother a lot. This poem is full of such joyful memories which make you think, you should always love your family no matter what. Parent Child Relationships in Before You Were Mine, Kid, On My First So Parent Child Relationships in Before You Were Mine, Kid, On My First Sonne, and The Song Of The Old Mother All of the poems are about emotions and parent child relationships. In Before You Were Mine, the girl idolises and loves her mother. Whereas the man in Kid feels angry towards his father, and resents him too. In the poem On My First Sonne, the father loves his son a lot and feels grief for his dead son. Which is different from The Song Of The Old Mother as in this the mother is angry and annoyed at her children. I shall look for similarities and differences in the parent child relationships that are in all four of the poems. The use of structure in Kid shows the past and present in a chronological way, it’s like a monologue. I know this because the lines one to five are about past events from when he was a child, â€Å"when you gave me the order to grow up.† The middle lines show the present â€Å"you baby, now I’m the real boy wonder.† This is effective because this shows the father son relationship between them from the past, when Kid had suffered to the present where he has learnt from the mistakes in his life. This structure is similar to Before You Were Mine as it is also structured in a chronological way. The mother’s life has been explored this way in each verse. Firstly, the mother’s childhood has been mentioned, â€Å"Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs.† Then in the second verse, the mother is an older dating teenager who falls in love â€Å"in the ballroom†¦I knew you would dance like that.† Finally, the last verse describes her as a mother â€Å"†¦You’d teach me the steps on the way home from Mass.† Each verse is like snap shots which are clearly shown wherever the mother was in her life she is in eac... ... he will never get too attached to anything he loves ever again. I think this is a sad poem because the parent loved his son so much he was his pride, his joy. His son meant everything to him and because of his son’s death; he’s never going to love anything like this again. This makes me think that you should make the most of what you’ve got in life and hold onto it because you don’t know what’s round the corner. This is similar to Before You Were Mine because in both parent child relationships feelings are shown. The feelings which are shown are love and care for one another. Before You Were Mine is about a girl who is looking at a photo, she is reflecting back all the positive memories of her mother. She idolises and loves her mother a lot. This poem is full of such joyful memories which make you think, you should always love your family no matter what.

Macbeth-Response to Aristotles Tragic Hero Essays -- essays research p

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shakespeare uses Aristotle’s ancient description of a tragic hero - a character between good and bad - to portray the protagonist in the tragedy Macbeth. Aristotle’s theory that tragedy must evoke pity or fear from the audience can be done effectively through an everyman character. In order to appeal to the audience and bring forth some empathy, Macbeth must show his righteous morals through his own soliloquies or through other characters’ lines. Macbeth’s changing attitude is influenced not only by Lady Macbeth’s convincing words, but also too by his mind, which is only human and therefore subject to temptation. Macbeth does however reach a turning point where he becomes so radical and paranoid that he can no longer find his moral conscience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth’s righteous mind is most clearly visible in his first soliloquy in which he debates whether or not to kill the old king Duncan. Macbeth distinctly reveals his tragic flaw as â€Å"Vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself/And falls on the other.†(I, vii, 27-28). Macbeth’s decisions are continuously influenced by Lady Macbeth and her overdriving ambition to become Queen of Scotland. Macbeth knows that in the past he has had spurts of motivation that were fueled by his wife’s encouragement, but when left alone he could piece together his thoughts and discover what was right. Macbeth evokes empathy from the audience during his moral debate becaus...

Amadou Ham Pate Ba

Amadou Ham pate Ba (1901-1991), Malian ethnologist, narrator and author, played an important role in introducing the world to African oral heritage, especially the folktales of West Africa. The man known as the â€Å"living Memory of Africa† he liked to say he was â€Å"one of the eldest sons of the century,† was one of the major intellectual literary figures of the 20th century. The saying with which he will always be associated for (his often quoted statement), that â€Å"In Africa when an old man dies, a library has burned down† has become so famous that it is sometimes used as an African proverb.He was commenting on the loss of African oral heritage, in praise of both old age and oral tradition, which contributes to the historical components of humanities memory. â€Å"The folktale is a key source of oral tradition, as are other forms of narrative and rituals that are considered essential components of cultural anthropology and ethnology†. (folkculture . org) There is a certain characteristic and significance of indigenous knowledge, especially in Africa. Indigenous knowledge has been defined as the local knowledge. Knowledge that is unique to a given culture or society.The expressions traditional local and indigenous knowledge, are used in the literature inter-changeably, is learned through repetition which aids in its retention and reinforcement. Agricultural or desert-based societies slowly created communities that were mostly self- contained and based on self-help. Their approach to problem solving was through ambulated individual or communal experiences and knowledge derived from trial and error. This aggregated validated knowledge improved and increases in time but remained mostly unrecorded. Even in the present information age, agricultural and desert-based communities, have remained practically cut off, thus they have been out of the mere necessity and for the sake of their survival, depending on and making use of their tr aditional unrecorded knowledge†. (Anwar, 1998) Amadou Ba feared that a lot of it is being lost due to rapid urbanization and continuous attrition in the older population. â€Å"Indigenous knowledge is predominantly tacit and embedded in practices and experiences and exchanged within the community through oral communication and demonstration.Recording and disseminating it across communities is not easy† (Anwar. 2005). It’s sometimes fragmented. It does not exist in its totality either in one place or one individual. It is distribution is socially differentiated, based on gender and age. â€Å"When discussing language, ethnic groups, cultures (and subcultures), and religions. The key concepts are diversity and complexity. There are conservatively many hundreds of different ethnics groups. Thus, there are many hundreds of distinct languages and cultures.The sheer number of such groups throughout Africa makes this dimension unique to the continent. † (The Oth er World ch. 6 pg. 187) Amadou Ham pate Ba passed away in 1991, leaving the world a library and an extensive archive to protect the wealth of knowledge that he had collected from fire, which he warned about repeatedly. He said â€Å"that part of every speech is lost to fire; chaos can result from tiny sparks just as a match can lead to a fire that destroys an entire village†. (folkculture. rg) What role do oral traditions play in the displacements and/or migrations of communities? Oral tradition: â€Å"the process of handing down information, opinions, belief, and customs by the word of mouth or by example† (Merriam-Webster unabridged 7th Ed). A transmission of knowledge and institutions through successive generations without written instruction. Thus an inherited principle, standard, or practice serving as the established guide of an individual or group. In comparing different cultures we tend to evaluate the custom of others in light of our own beliefs and values.Mem bers of all cultures assume that their own design for living is the best and only correct way. The belief that one’s own culture is the only true and good way, as well as the tendency to judge other cultures by those standard, is call Ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism serves several important functions for individuals and groups. Certainly about the rightness of one’s beliefs and behaviors reinforces the tendency to confirm and to defend one’s society. Ethnocentrism becomes dysfunctional when beliefs in one’s superiority lead to hostility and conflict. More important, oral traditions can provide a rich history predating the written word. † (The other world ch6 pg. 189) In traditional soufies people tend to regard the way things have always been done as sacred, which stems from the beliefs and practices passed down from generation to generation. Account of first European contacts with black Africa are a study in Ethnocentrism the letters and journals of 1 5th and 16th century explorers, merchants, and missioners, overflowed with lurid descriptions of cannibalism, incest and unbridled lust. Since the Africans did not practice Christianity they were labeled ‘heathens’; since their laws were incomprehensible to the European, they were said to be ‘LAWLESS’; and since their marriage and family practices differed from those prevalent in Europe they were judged to be ‘savages’ and ‘barbarians’. (George 1968) â€Å"Africa was artificially divided to suit the objectives of the colonial governments. Preexisting ethnic, linguistic, and cultural until were ignored. Throughout Africa, closely knit people speaking the same language were suddenly separated†. The other world Ch6 pg. 190) As evident in the class text book (see enclosed references) European colonization of the coast of Africa in 1884 (see fig 6. 2) undoubtedly hasten the displacement and migration of the indigenous people furt her inland toward the desert (see fig 6. 1) so they could control; the rich fertile land. By 1895 (see fig 6. 3) it only got worse. Even today the African map reflects the extraction goals of the imperial powers. ‘’ Moreover, foreigners exploited the natural habit in many parts of the region.For instance, the colonial powers instituted cash crops and export of livestock, which in turn meant widespread clearing of the land and sometimes depletion of the soil. Similarly, Europeans carving up the continent created or heightened local rivalries, which resulted in conflicts that also affected the landscape (ch6 p. 201) Carried to an extreme, ethnocentrism is destructive as evidence by the Nazis in Germany who believed in absolute superiority of the white Aryan race and culture.The result was the displacement and death of millions of people who didn’t fit that category mostly Jews. In American history, each different ethnic, religious, or racial group was thought to be inferior to white Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASP) and therefore deserve less than humane treatment. â€Å"Ethnic divisions are a powerful force today. Ongoing struggles in such diverse states as Angola, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya,Liberia Mauritanian, Nigeria, Ruanda and Sierra Leon may be explained in past by deep-seated ethnic division